Pure Storage (PSTG) Q2 2026 Earnings Call August 27, 2025 05:00 PM ET Company ParticipantsPaul Ziots - VP - IRCharles Giancarlo - Chairman & CEOTarek Robbiati - CFOAmit Daryanani - Senior MD - Equity ResearchJason Ader - Co-Group Head - Technology, Media & CommunicationsEddy Orabi - Vice PresidentRob Lee - Chief Technology OfficerSimon Leopold - Managing DirectorErik Woodring - MD - Equity ResearchRuplu Bhattacharya - DirectorAsiya Merchant - Technology Equity ResearchDavid Vogt - Managing DirectorConferenc ...

Pure Storage (PSTG) Q2 2026 Earnings Call August 27, 2025 05:00 PM ET Speaker0Good day, and welcome to the Pure Storage Second Quarter Fiscal twenty twenty six Financial Results Conference Call. Today's conference is being recorded. At this time, I'd like to turn the call over to Paul Dyach, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.Speaker1Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to Pure's second quarter fiscal year twenty twenty six earnings conference call. On the call, we have Charli ...

Summary of Pure Storage Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Pure Storage - **Industry**: Data Storage Solutions Key Opportunities and Strategic Focus - **Enterprise Growth**: Pure Storage sees significant growth potential in the enterprise sector, focusing on expanding its portfolio and addressing a full suite of enterprise storage needs [4][5] - **AI Integration**: The company is positioned as a leader in providing a comprehensive suite of AI storage solutions, catering to both small and large-scale environments [5] - **Hyperscaler Engagement**: Pure Storage has been actively engaging with hyperscalers, transitioning from initial discussions to design wins and production [5][6] Hyperscaler Market Insights - **Infrastructure Design**: Hyperscalers design their infrastructure stacks holistically, integrating compute, networking, storage, and software, which differs from traditional enterprise environments [6][7] - **Flash Adoption Lag**: Historically, hyperscalers have lagged in adopting flash technology compared to enterprises, but are now recognizing the limitations of hard disk drives and the need for flash solutions [8][9] - **Transition to Flash**: The transition from hard disk drives to flash is driven by the need for improved performance, capacity, and efficiency, particularly in light of power and space constraints [10][11] Design Win with Meta - **Collaboration with Meta**: Pure Storage has been working with Meta for several years, culminating in a design win that emphasizes cost savings, power efficiency, and seamless integration into Meta's existing technology stack [12][14][17] - **Technology Licensing Model**: The business model involves technology licensing and royalties rather than direct hardware sales, allowing Meta to leverage its supply chain [24][25] Competitive Landscape - **Limited Competition**: Pure Storage faces minimal competition from third-party vendors, primarily competing against hyperscalers' internal development efforts and existing technologies [28][46] - **Value Proposition**: The value of Pure's solutions is framed around total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to SSD and hard disk drive systems, emphasizing simplicity, reliability, and efficiency [29][31] Storage as a Service (STaaS) - **Growth of STaaS**: Pure Storage has pioneered storage as a service models, which have gained traction due to their flexibility and adaptability to changing customer needs [34][39] - **Outcome-Based Sales**: The approach focuses on SLA-based sales rather than traditional product sales, allowing for ongoing adjustments to meet customer requirements [35][38] Enterprise Storage Market Outlook - **Market Growth**: The enterprise storage market is expected to grow at low to mid-single-digit rates over the next few years, with Pure Storage aiming to capture a larger market share [41][42] - **Strategic Positioning**: The company is well-positioned to engage in strategic conversations with enterprises, offering a comprehensive solution that spans various storage needs [43] Additional Insights - **Storage Tiers**: Hyperscalers design storage solutions across multiple tiers, from high-performance to archival storage, and Pure's technology aims to provide a unified architecture for these diverse needs [50][52] - **Operational Margin Accretion**: The licensing model is expected to be accretive to operating margins, with potential improvements in gross margins as well [32][33]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Q1 revenue grew 12% year-over-year, reaching $830 million, with operating profit of $83 million and an operating margin of 10.6% [23][26] - Subscription services revenue increased 17% to $406 million, representing over half of total revenue, while annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 18% to $1.7 billion [25][26] - Total remaining performance obligations (RPO) grew 17% to $2.7 billion, indicating strong renewals and new commitments [25][26] - Total gross margin improved to 70.9%, with subscription services margin at 77.2% [26][27] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Storage as a Service (SaaS) solutions saw a 70% increase in total contract value (TCV) sales, reaching $95 million, driven by large Evergreen One deals [23][25] - Product margin rose 1.1 points sequentially to 64%, with expectations for mid-60s product gross margin for the year [27] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - U.S. revenue grew 9% to $531 million, while international revenue increased 21% to $248 million year-over-year [26] - The company added 235 new customers, achieving a penetration rate of 62% within the Fortune 500 [26] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on modernizing IT infrastructure and breaking down data silos, with a strong emphasis on AI and high-performance computing solutions [10][15] - A major partnership with Nutanix was announced to integrate their cloud platform with Pure Storage, aimed at enhancing virtualization solutions [12][15] - The company is expanding its cloud block store integration into a fully managed service available through Azure VMware service [13][14] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's ability to navigate macroeconomic uncertainties while maintaining strong performance [18][30] - The company anticipates continued growth in the second half of the year, with a revenue forecast of $845 million for Q2, representing a 10.6% year-over-year increase [30] Other Important Information - The CFO, Kevan Krysler, will be leaving the company after more than five years, with a smooth transition planned [20][21] - The company has a strong balance sheet with $1.6 billion in cash and investments, and Q1 operating cash flow was $284 million [28] Q&A Session Summary Question: Update on hyperscale opportunity with Meta - Management indicated that the evaluation and testing process with Meta is on track, with expectations for significant progress in the second half of the year [39][40] Question: Size of the newly announced AXA offering - The opportunity is seen as niche but substantial, targeting markets like government and large-scale GPU clusters, with expected margins at or above company standards [45][46] Question: Changes in buyer behavior during macro uncertainty - Management noted no significant changes in customer sentiment or purchasing behavior in Q1, with broad-based strength across traditional sales and Evergreen One [51][54] Question: Clarification on subscription margins amid tariff costs - Management stated that they can absorb any potential tariff costs without significantly impacting subscription gross margins [94] Question: Revenue contribution from Meta's one to two exabytes - Some de minimis revenue contribution has been contemplated in the annual guide, expected to be recognized in the second half [72][73] Question: Time to close larger deals - Management reported that larger deals are tracking as expected, with solid momentum in both larger and higher velocity transactions [78]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Q1 revenue grew by 12%, reaching $830 million, with an operating profit of $83 million and an operating margin of 10.6% [23][28] - Subscription services revenue in Q1 reached $406 million, up 17%, representing over half of total revenue [25] - Annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 18% to $1.7 billion, while total remaining performance obligations (RPO) grew 17% to $2.7 billion [25][26] - Total gross margin improved to 70.9%, with subscription services margin at 77.2% [26][27] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - TCV sales for Storage as a Service solutions jumped 70% to $95 million, driven by large Evergreen One deals [23] - Product margin rose by 1.1 points sequentially to 64%, with expectations for mid-60s product gross margin for the year [27] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - U.S. revenue was $531 million, growing 9%, while international revenue was $248 million, growing 21% year over year [26] - The company added 235 new customers, achieving a penetration rate of 62% of the Fortune 500 [26] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The introduction of Fusion 2.0 has been well received, with nearly 100 customers using or testing it [8] - The company is focusing on modernizing IT infrastructure and breaking down data silos, with a strong emphasis on AI and high-performance computing [10][15] - A major agreement with Nutanix was announced to integrate their cloud platform with Pure Storage, enhancing virtualization solutions [12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - The near-term view for the year remains largely unchanged despite increased uncertainty in the macro environment [18] - The company expects to deliver 1 to 2 exabytes of solutions to Meta in the second half of the year, with production validation testing on schedule [16][39] - Management remains confident in the ability to outpace competition and grow market share [19][30] Other Important Information - CFO Kevan Krysler will be leaving the company, with a transition plan in place [20] - The company returned $120 million to shareholders through share repurchases and paid $61 million in employee award withholding taxes [29] Q&A Session Summary Question: Update on hyperscale opportunity with Meta - Management indicated that the evaluation and testing process with Meta is on track, with expectations for significant progress in the second half of the year [39][40] Question: Size of the newly announced AXA offering - The opportunity is seen as niche but substantial, targeting government and large-scale GPU clusters, with margins expected to be at or above company standards [45][46] Question: Changes in buyer behavior during macro uncertainty - Management noted no significant changes in customer sentiment or purchasing behavior in Q1, with broad-based strength across sales [51][54] Question: Clarification on subscription margins amid tariff costs - Management expressed confidence in managing tariff costs without significantly impacting subscription gross margins [93] Question: Revenue contribution from Meta's 1 to 2 exabytes - Some de minimis revenue contribution has been contemplated in the annual guide, primarily through a licensing fee model [72] Question: Time to close larger deals - Management reported that larger deals are tracking as expected, with solid momentum continuing into Q1 [78] Question: Comparison of project timelines with Meta and others - The lengthy timeline is attributed to the design cycles of hyperscalers, which include multiple components beyond storage [84][86]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Q1 revenue grew 12% year-over-year, reaching $830 million, with an operating profit of $83 million and an operating margin of 10.6% [22][24] - Subscription services revenue increased 17% to $406 million, representing over half of total revenue, while annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew 18% to $1.7 billion [23][24] - Total remaining performance obligations (RPO) grew 17% to $2.7 billion, indicating strong renewals and new commitments [23][24] - Total gross margin improved to 70.9%, with subscription services margin at 77.2% [24][25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Storage as a Service (SaaS) solutions saw a 70% increase in total contract value (TCV) sales, reaching $95 million, driven by large Evergreen One deals [22][23] - Product margin rose 1.1 points sequentially to 64%, with expectations for mid-60s product gross margin for the year [25][26] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - U.S. revenue grew 9% to $531 million, while international revenue increased 21% to $248 million year-over-year [24] - The company added 235 new customers, achieving a penetration rate of 62% within the Fortune 500 [24] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on modernizing IT infrastructure and breaking down data silos, with a strong emphasis on AI and high-performance computing solutions [7][9] - Strategic partnerships with companies like Nutanix and SK Hynix are aimed at enhancing virtualization and flash storage capabilities [10][15] - The company is committed to maintaining pricing predictability for customers amid tariff-related changes, leveraging its Evergreen model [17][18] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's ability to navigate macroeconomic uncertainties while maintaining strong performance [16][28] - The company anticipates continued growth in the second quarter, projecting revenue of $845 million, a 10.6% year-over-year increase [28] Other Important Information - Kevin Chrysler, the CFO, will be leaving the company, with a transition plan in place to ensure continuity [19][20] - The company reported a strong balance sheet with $1.6 billion in cash and investments, and operating cash flow of $284 million [26] Q&A Session Summary Question: Update on hyperscale opportunity with Meta - Management indicated that the evaluation process with Meta is on track, with expectations to deliver one to two exabytes in the second half of the year [36][38] Question: Size of the newly announced AXA offering - The company views the AXA offering as targeting niche markets, with expectations for margins to be at or above standard company margins [42][43] Question: Changes in buyer behavior during macro uncertainty - Management noted no significant changes in customer sentiment or purchasing behavior in Q1, with broad-based strength across sales [50][52] Question: Revenue contribution from Meta's project - Some de minimis revenue contribution from the Meta project has been included in the annual guidance, primarily through a licensing fee model [69][70] Question: Clarification on subscription margins amid tariff costs - Management expressed confidence that subscription gross margins would not be significantly impacted by potential tariff costs due to operational efficiencies [90][91] Question: Investment expectations for future hyperscaler wins - The company expects to see leverage in design and investment requirements as more hyperscalers are added, reducing costs for future projects [93][94] Question: Revenue linearity throughout the quarter - Management reported typical revenue linearity throughout the quarter, with strong performance sustained [97][98]